SMILE Project Blog

Support and Maintenance for the Independent Living of the Elderly

The Big Sneinton Link Up was part of
the SMILE project, aimed at building bridges between young and older people.
This project has now come to an end however we know during the 7/8 months that
we've been out listening to both young and old, we've only just scratched the
surface. Building bridges between different generations, different communities
takes time and great commitment. It also takes a lot of trust.

Each
and every person we have met throughout the project has shownus just how
unique they are. Not all young people are the same, just as not all old people
are the same. Some older people told us that they
don't go out after 4pm, whilst other older people told us how much they enjoy a
disco and will happily dance the night away... till 10:30 anyway!

Alongside my colleagues
I've learnt so much along the way. The best advice I can give (which I too
received) is when working with any group of people 'just shut up and listen'.
Never assume you hold all the answers.

This project may have come
to an end however, there is still much that is needed to be done. We have shared our findings with the Muslim Community Organisation who are interested in continuing with this much needed work. They are currently working on developing a befriending scheme with Nottingham Age UK. We hope that other organisations that we have worked with will also continue to build on the legacy of this project.

If you, or
anyone you know is interested in finding out more about the work we've
undertaken on this project then please get in touch. We'd love to share more
with you and perhaps you/your organisation can take this work to the next
level.

Thank you to Nottingham Academy, Muslim Community Organisation, Sunflower Cafe at St. Christopher's Church, Carlton Folds, Greenway Centre, SEND Project and the Hermitage Community Centre for supporting our work.

A heart-felt thank you to all the following organisations for supporting our event through donations of food items and raffle prizes.

A BIG thank you to everyone that attended our event. In comparison to the events that we've organised in
the past it wasn't the biggest we've done but I hasten to add it's one of the best
we've done! Of course, I'm completely biased.

The qualitative work that went on was truly amazing. Young and old coming
together, conversing, sharing experiences and food.Everyone that performed on the night especially the young people from the SEND
Project at theGreenway Centre, much respect. You all held your own!

Last but not least - the smile team David Thomas, Steve Smith, Charlotte Christine, all the volunteers, Chefs team,
sponsors - everyone that helped make this event a success, I salute you all.

Our team have been hard at work listening to young people and the senior citizens of Sneinton. The views shared with us have further reinforced the need for bringing these two groups together, through shared experiences.

It’s a fact that older people are the backbone of any community and the foundation upon which communities are built. It’s also a fact that older people are the reason we are here and therefore at Project SMILE we believe older people need to be looked after, and treated with dignity and respect. At the same time, young people are themselves facing new and emerging challenges. Many argue that they are often misunderstood by older people, which contributes to them being unfairly labelled and judged.

In our conversations with young people, we have found the vast majority to be caring and compassionate individuals, who have a good understanding of the major issues facing older people. They also told us that they would welcome the opportunity to help support and befriend an older person, and called for a celebration party to bring both young and older people together.

The Big Sneinton Link Up will be the celebration party they have asked for. We intend to ensure our guests have fun and leave having gained a greater understanding of each other. We also hope to identify people willing to participate in Project SMILE in the future.

So, The Big Sneinton Link Up is going to be a night of celebration, a night in which the best of what Sneinton has to offer, old and new, come together and have fun. However, rather than just throw a few tables and chairs in a room, we thought we would ‘push the boat out' a little and and make it a little more glitz.

Watch this space for more details on the upcoming event!

If this sounds like the sort of project that you would like to get involved in then please contact David on 07943 483540.

Two part time Community Organisers will work on the Smile Intergenerational Project

Congratulations to Deb Lee and Zanye Reast who were recently appointed by Sneinton Alchemy to run SMILE intergenerational which will get under 25's and over 60's together to organise their own activity.

Working on our intergenerational project candidates will help build bridges between the youth and senior citizens of Sneinton.

Senior Community Organiser and project coordinator Shabana Najib will be managing the project.